IN CASE YOU MISSED IT–Schedule of Reuters features from this week

Jan 19 (Reuters) - Every week, Reuters journalists produce scores of multimedia features and human-interest stories from around the world.

Below are some stories from this week selected by our editors, as well as explanatory context and background to help you understand world headlines. For a full schedule of news and events, please go to our editorial calendar on Reuters Connect.

Drone thermal imaging captures rare turtle laying eggs in Thailand

PHANG NGA, Thailand - Thai marine conservation officials used thermal imaging equipment mounted on a drone to capture footage of a leatherback sea turtle, the world's largest turtle species, coming to shore to lay eggs. (THAILAND-TURTLES/DRONE (TV, PIX), 182 words)

Army of pest-munching ducks keep South African vineyard blooming

STELLENBOSCH, South Africa - Flocks of white, black and brown ducks hunt for snails and bugs as they patrol the grapevines at a vineyard in South Africa's winemaking town of Stellenbosch, helping the owners steer clear of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. (SAFRICA-VINEYARD/DUCKS (PIX, TV), 238 words)

Argentine corn field planted with face of World Cup winner Messi

LOS CONDORES, Argentina - Lionel Messi has been immortalized in Argentina in tributes ranging from tattoos to murals after leading the national team to win the soccer World Cup. Now his face can be seen from the heavens too - on a specially designed corn field. (SOCCER-ARGENTINA/MESSI-TRIBUTE (PIX, TV), 334 words)

Thousands sign petition to save 'sacred' Japan stadium where Ruth once played

TOKYO - Thousands of baseball fans have signed a petition to save an iconic Tokyo stadium nearly a century old where Babe Ruth once played and which inspired best-selling author Haruki Murakami to first pick up a pen. (BASEBALL-JAPAN/STADIUM (PIX, TV), 342 words)

Ancient Maya cities, 'super highways' revealed in latest survey

GUATEMALA CITY - A new high-tech study has revealed nearly 1,000 ancient Maya settlements, including 417 previously unknown cites linked by what may be the world's first highway network and hidden for millennia by the dense jungles of northern Guatemala and southern Mexico. (GUATEMALA-ART/ARCHAEOLOGY (PIX), 321 words)

Move over Ben Franklin: Laser lightning rod electrifies scientists

WASHINGTON - When Benjamin Franklin fashioned the first lightning rod in the 1750s following his famous experiment flying a kite with a key attached during a thunderstorm, the American inventor had no way of knowing this would remain the state of the art for centuries. However, scientists now are moving to improve on that 18th century innovation with 21st century technology - a system employing a high-powered laser that may revolutionize lightning protection. (SCIENCE-LIGHTNING/ (PIX), 608 words)

French city asks Madonna to lend it a painting lost in 1918

BRUSSELS - The mayor of Amiens has asked Madonna to lend the French city a 19th-century painting lost during World War One that it believes may be have been bought by the singer, to help its chances of becoming the European Capital of Culture. (FRANCE-MADONNA/PAINTING (PIX), 293 words)

Actress Zar Amir Ebrahimi channeled own experience of Iran in thriller 'Holy Spider'

LONDON - Iranian actress Zar Amir Ebrahimi, who fled her home country in 2008 in fear after a private video was leaked, says she channeled her own experience in the thriller "Holy Spider," a dark tale of a serial killer in the holy city Mashhad. (FILM-HOLY SPIDER/ (TV, PIX), 454 words)

Football and Finances: NFL's Ndamukong Suh teaches kids money smarts

NEW YORK - If your kid happens to be in public school in Portland, Dallas, Los Angeles or Oakland and is taking a personal finance workshop in the coming months, ask them if they caught sight of one of the founders of the program. If he is 6-foot-4 (1.93 meters), more than 300 pounds and looks like a National Football League defensive tackle - that is because he is one. (MONEY-FOOTBALL/SUH (PERSONAL FINANCE, PIX), 764 words)

Small and medium companies to boost business travel rebound in 2023

New York excavation contractor Brian Dietz does not view higher air fares as a deal breaker for flying and airlines are seeing more small- and medium-size companies like his feeding a 2023 rebound in business travel. (AIRLINES-TRAVEL/BUSINESS (ANALYSIS, PIX), 508 words)

Private equity persuades Italian luxury suppliers that bigger is better

MILAN - Italian businesses discovered the limits of their "small is beautiful" motto when competition became global. Nudged by private equity funds, those supplying the booming luxury goods industry are now finding strength in unity. (ITALY-LUXURY/FUNDS (FOCUS, PIX), 828 words)

Zambia received 'debt-for-nature' proposal from WWF for $13 bln restructuring

LONDON - Zambia received a "debt-for-nature swap" proposal as part of its $13 billion restructuring discussions, a move that while complex to secure and not part of current talks, could set an eco-friendly precedent for other debt crises if eventually included. (ZAMBIA-DEBT/NATURE (PIX), 557 words)

EXPLANATORY CONTENT

EXPLAINER-Flooding in California: What are 'atmospheric rivers?'

FACTBOX-Tech firms, Wall Street lead job cuts in corporate America

FACTBOX-Deadliest civilian attacks of Russia's invasion of Ukraine

FACTBOX-How the EU ban on Russian crude affects oil flows

FACTBOX-Workers vs Macron: What to expect from Thursday's strike

FACTBOX-How top Mafia boss Messina Denaro escaped justice for 30 years

NEWSMAKER-Years of cat-and-mouse end as top mafioso cornered in Italian clinic

NEWSMAKER-Iran's 'death committee' president unyielding in defense of clerical rule (Compiled by Mark Porter and Patrick Enright)